Homicide is the killing of one human being by another. It is the fourth-leading cause of death in the United States, after cancer, heart disease, and stroke. Although it used to be rare for a single person to be murdered, homicide rates have increased in recent years. According to the US Bureau of Justice Statistics, homicide is the second leading cause of death for young people aged 15-24. There are different forms of homicide, some more common than others. Let’s take a look at them.
What is homicide?
The deaths from murder, suicide and accidental injury fall under homicide. Murder is defined as a death in which one person dies at the hands of another human being. Homicide is a gigantic term that includes both legal and illegal killings. Every state has different types of homicide classification in the US. Usually, these classifications fall into three major categories- murder, manslaughter, and justifiable homicide.
What is first degree murder, and what is second degree murder?
Murder can be divided into two main categories- first-degree murder and second-degree murder.
First-degree murder refers to any killing where premeditated intent was involved. For example, a man who kills his wife after refusing an abortion would be guilty of first-degree murder under California law.
Second-degree murders are just as common as first-degree murders. Here, a killing may have occurred but without any intent for it to happen; usually, this type of homicide involves rage or emotion. Examples include arguments between spouses where the killer killed his partner in frustration over an extended dispute that caused him to lose control of his feelings rather than after careful deliberation and planning.
What is manslaughter?
Manslaughter is an unplanned killing that results in death. It can fall into several different categories of manslaughter depending on intent and whether actual homicide intended was involved or not. Examples include an accidental killing caused by a gunshot wound or falling from a ladder and hitting yourself on your head, which would be considered manslaughter as far as specific intent is concerned. Other examples include driving drunk, which typically results in a manslaughter charge.
What are voluntary manslaughter and involuntary manslaughter?
Manslaughter is of two kinds- voluntary manslaughter and involuntary manslaughter. Voluntary manslaughter is a planned killing that occurs when the perpetrator does not intend it to happen but realizes afterward that death has occurred due to his actions. For example, if someone were intoxicated and drew up alongside you on your bike and fired a shot at you with the intent to shoot you in the leg but instead hit an innocent bystander standing behind him, that would be considered voluntary manslaughter.
Involuntary manslaughter occurs when a perpetrator unintentionally causes injury or death while committing another type of violent crime, such as robbery or assault. This time, the perpetrator intended to harm others and did so, not realizing but the thought that he might kill another person through assault or robbery. The charge is commonly brought when one commits felonious behavior in a fit of rage.
What is justifiable homicide?
Justifiable homicide is a legal defense that exists in most states. It essentially allows an individual to kill someone who has committed one of these violent crimes: murder or manslaughter, with proper justification provided by the courts. The crime cannot be first-degree premeditated murder and must be intentional – meaning that you had planned on killing another person for some other reason (such as robbery).
In each state’s law, there are different justifications allowed depending on if the killing occurs within another person’s property (illegal trespassing) or if a citizen has killed in defense of life, as long as it is necessary.
In short, these are the most common types of homicide seen in the US.
Also read: 8 Most Cruel Incidence of Genocide Ever Happened on The Earth
